Akron Innerbelt: An Incomplete Insult
It wasn't supposed to be this way. It was originally going to connect all the way down to US-224 and even the cut down version we got was expecting 100,000+ daily drivers. We instead had ~18,000 daily drivers by mid-2000s.
Heading Southbound on I-77 after the I-76 convergence and need to get into downtown or are you in downtown and need to go to your home somewhere in the Southwest suburbs? I have good news for you! You are coming up on a Godsend:
If you are not either of those use-cases, don't worry! You can fuck off as far as the Innerbelt is concerned. It wasn't supposed to be this way. It was originally going to connect all the way down to US-224 and even the cut down version we got was expecting 100,000+ daily drivers. We instead had ~18,000 daily drivers by mid-2000s. There was research done in 1977 from Frank J. Kendrick indicating the consequences from construction. So Akron got rid of it and rebuilt the neighborhood to right the wrong soon after right?
We are 46 years later and nothing was done except somehow make this incomplete behemoth more broken than before with the closing of the section between Market Ave. and Exchange Street. They do plan on redeveloping the ~30 acre area with a permenant solution no sooner than a decade out as mentioned in the video below. I recommend giving it a watch for discussion; it is notable and worthy cause to record the history of the people who were displaced.
Why not re-imagine the whole innerbelt at this time? We have 2 miles of mistake we can correct. Why not leave a 4 lane road with a grade-seperated tram/light rail running into downtown that can be redeveloped into mixed use buildings. If we really wanted to honor the people who were displaced, why not build up a new neighborhood with only local businesses occupying the commercial space? Why not rent those to people who are historically denied the opportunity for traditional commercial real-estate or excluded due to financial constraints? Subsidize the rent in this new space by taking on city public debt. We can figure out the taxes later. By figure out I mean figure out how to extract the money from Gojo Industries, the downtown shit-apartments (5 or more over 1 builds), and Goodyear.
What if they leave? Dare them to and drag them for threatening to abandon American citizens. Goodyear has already invested in the East End; it will be tough for them to abandon that. You cannot pick up apartment buildings.
We need to ensure that the commerce that occurs in Akron is helping to provide for all of the citizens. Do something Akron public officials.
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